Democrats Unfairly Boycotting Presidential Inauguration

Dear Rep. DeSaulnier,We’re very disappointed that you have chosen not to attend the President-elect’s Inaugural this week. As homeowners of your district, we are weary that there will be increased division between you and the new Administration which could impact local issues. In this unprecedented move for tlocal Rep. and other Democrats, you are helping to divide rather than unite by NOT giving the new Administration at least a chance. To not go to the inauguration simply because YOU believe that the election was unfair -though even our Obama-installed intelligence department admitted that Russian hacks did not affect the election – and because you didn’t like Trump’s defending himself for being called ‘not legitimate’ by Rep. John Lewis (who, by the way, also called George Bush in 2002 even though he forgot this the other day – is very wrong. Whether you don’t like Trump or not, he did nothing to warrant non-attendance to such an important, would-be unifying event as this. Be prepared to be looked upon disparagingly by the majority of your fellow lawmakers who at least have the decency to show up for President Trump’s very first day in office. By not attending, you are playing extreme politics ala Barbara Lee and the most radical, divisive members of Congress, instead of making an effort to come together with the great majority for Day One. No wonder there has been so much division in California and U.S. politics in recent years with actions like this – maybe not so surprising for Oakland or Berkeley but it’s a sad day it is now happening in our non-political, family-oriented, hard-working, middle-class towns of Central Contra Costa and beyond.

Signed,

John Doe

(Feel Free to use above format, altering it with our own information to your own Rep. who also may not be attending.)

Not a Single Republican Leader Skipped Obama Inauguration, but…

Reasons Given Don’t Justify Boycotting Such a Significant Event

In fact, Rep. Lewis is an over-rated lawmaker riding off of his one (historical) accomplishment when he happened to be protesting in Selma as a young man. Despite his early association with Martin Luther King, Jr. , Lewis has since been more a divider than a uniter, having also called President George Bush ‘illegitimate’ and criticized the most liberal Republicans including John McCain and Mitt Romney. As one of the few survivors of the Selma protest, he has been given faux praise as a would-be MLK desciple.

In a nearly unprecedented move, Twenty-five Democratic lawmakers have announced they are boycotting this week’s Presidential Inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump. Some are relying on ‘Russian hacking’ of the election as their reason for boycotting while others are not going because they feel Trump ‘insulted’ noted Democrat Georgia representative John Lewis, after Lewis, himself was among the first to announce he would not be attending the inauguration, calling Trump not a ‘legitimate’ president. All not attending are House Representatives – all governors and senators WILL be attending – and most noteworthy are Michigan’s JOHN CONYERS, California’s BARBARA LEE and MAXINE WATERS – not too surprising for their history of going against the conservative grain. But to not attend a presidential inauguration is an extreme statement , which could come back to haunt them, perhaps, if Trump does well and they later ask for help in their districts.

For the 25 to boycott for the two main reasons given could be viewed as un-grounded. First, even the Intelligence Committees have admitted that the Russian hacking did not affect the outcome of the election in that there was no tampering with election machines or ballots. (If they claim the hacking, e.g. wikileaks influenced the election results after showing Hillary in poor light following her campaign manager (John Podesta) email leaks, that was something the Democrats largely brought on themselves due to poor security. Hacking is a common occurrence today by most large nations against each other, but only now has it become such a big issue AFTER the election; furthermore, wikileaks news was all but ignored by the mainstream media, only reported to any extent by the conservative media which has little influence on liberal voters. Second, Donald Trump was NOT insulting representative Lewis but only defending himself after Lewis’ claim that Trump was an ‘iligitimate‘ candidate; if anyone was doing the insulting it was Lewis for making such an strong, unfounded statement after Trump won the election by a significant electoral college vote -that Hillary may have won the popular vote has nothing to do with final results (then there’s much evidence to show that the popular vote was bloated with illegal votes and tampering, noting the sudden growing disparity in votes favoring Hillary in days following the actual vote.)

In fact, Rep. Lewis is an over-rated lawmaker riding off of his one (historical) accomplishment when he happened to be protesting in Selma as a young man. Despite his association with Martin Luther King, Jr. , Lewis has since been more a divider than a uniter, having also called President George Bush ‘illegitimate’ and has criticized the most liberal Republicans including John McCain and Mitt Romney. Lewis has since become a symbol for the Demcratic Party to use as a political tool, especially when it comes to issues of race. MLK would likely have never stood for Lewis’ stance, as King’s own son, MLK III, who is a supporter of Donald Trump. As one of the few survivors of the Selma protest, Lewis has been given faux praise as a would-be MLK desciple. Did you also know that Lewis also skipped George W. Bush’s inauguration in 2001 although he conveniently forgot about it on a recent interview when he said Trump’s will be the first one he ever skipped.

Not a Single Republican Leader Skipped Obama Inauguration

Not since a small number of lawmakers boycotted the George W. Bush inauguration in 2002 has there been a similar boycott , but probably never with the current numbers and hostility by Democrats for reasons unwarranted. With Bush there was a real question pertaining to the ‘hanging chads’ of Florida.

Georgia Rep. John Lewis most responsible for the groundswell of Democrats not attending Trump inauguration with this statement that Trump is NOT a ‘legitimate’ President.

NAMES OF THOSE BOYCOTTING THE TRUMP INAUGURATION:

(Editor’s Note: Note some of the biased wording in the following CNN list of those not attending the Trump Inaugural)

Email addresses/contacts are included, below, for some of those non-attendees so those who may wish to register their displeasure (or congratulate) said representatives

From CNN,

‘Washington (CNN) A growing number of Democratic lawmakers are boycotting President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, particularly after revelations of Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 election and his rebuke of civil rights icon John Lewis on Saturday.

Some members of Congress have said they will be protesting in Washington, D.C., and in their districts instead. Here’s a list of Democrats who have publicly said they won’t be at Friday’s ceremony:

California Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard

“I thought long and hard about attending the Inauguration because I value our democracy and respect the office of the presidency, regardless of party. However, the disparaging remarks the President-elect has made about many groups, including women, Mexicans, and Muslims, are deeply contrary to my values. As a result, I will not be attending the Inauguration,” Roybal-Allard said in a statement Sunday.

Georgia Rep. John Lewis

The civil rights icon declared last week that he would boycott the event because he doesn’t see Trump as a “legitimate” president in light of Russian interference.

California Rep. Ted Lieu

“For me, the personal decision not to attend Inauguration is quite simple: Do I stand with Donald Trump, or do I stand with John Lewis? I am standing with John Lewis,” Lieu said in a statement released by his office.

New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler

He announced his decision on CNN’s “New Day” and then issued a statement: “The rhetoric and actions of Donald Trump have been so far beyond the pale — so disturbing and disheartening — and his continued failure to address his conflicts of interest, to adequately divest or even to fully disclose his financial dealings, or to sufficiently separate himself from the ethical misconduct that legal experts on both side of the aisle have identified have been so offensive I cannot in good conscience participate in this honored and revered democratic tradition of the peaceful transfer of power.”

Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva

“I will not be attending the inauguration of Donald Trump as our next president,” the Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chair said Friday on the House floor. “My absence is not motivated by disrespect for the office or motivated by disrespect for the government that we have in this great democracy, but as an individual act, yes, of defiance at the disrespect shown to millions and millions of Americans by this incoming administration, and the actions we are taking in this Congress.”

Michigan Rep. John Conyers

The office of Conyers, the dean of the United House of Representatives, confirmed to CNN he won’t be attending the inauguration.

California Rep. Mark DeSaulnier

“It is with a heavy heart and deep personal conviction that I have decided not to attend the #TrumpInauguration on January 20, 2017,” the California lawmaker tweeted Friday.

Oregon Rep. Kurt Schrader

“I’m just not a big Trump fan. I’ve met the guy and never been impressed with him,” he told Oregon Public Broadcasting Friday. “I’ll do my best to work with him when I think he’s doing the right thing for the country. But he hasn’t proved himself to me at all yet, so I respectfully decline to freeze my ass out there in the cold for this particular ceremony.”

Missouri Rep. William Lacy Clay

The lawmaker’s spokesperson told the St. Louis Post Dispatch that Clay will be in his home state speaking to schoolchildren.

California Rep. Barbara Lee

Lee said she’ll spend the day “preparing for resistance.”

“Donald Trump has proven that his administration will normalize the most extreme fringes of the Republican Party. On Inauguration Day, I will not be celebrating. I will be organizing and preparing for resistance,” she said Thursday in a statement.

New York Rep. Jose Serrano

“I will not attend the #inauguration2017 next week- cannot celebrate the inauguration of a man who has no regard for my constituents. #Bronx,” he tweeted Thursday.

California Rep. Judy Chu

“After much thought, I have decided to #StandWithJohnLewis and not attend the inauguration,” Chu tweeted this weekend..

Illinois Rep. Luis Gutierrez

“I cannot go to (the) inauguration of a man who’s going to appoint people to the Supreme Court and turn back the clock on women and turn back the clock on immigrants and the safety and freedom that we fought for them,” Gutierrez said last month on CNN’s “New Day.”

California Rep. Jared Huffman

“I have decided that instead of attending the inaugural ceremonies in Washington this month, I’ll spend time in California with my constituents making a positive difference in our community,” he wrote on Facebook Tuesday. “From helping to build homes for local families to pitching in on cleaning up flood debris to welcoming new US citizens at a naturalization ceremony — it will be an action-packed couple of days. Stay tuned here for more details.”

Massachusetts Rep. Katherine Clark

“I support the peaceful transition of power, but I don’t feel that I need to attend the pageantry associated with and for this president,” she told the Boston Globe earlier this month.

Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer

“There is unprecedented concern by my constituents about the many threats posed by a Trump administration seeking to implement the President-elect’s policies on health, environment, nuclear weapons and immigration, to name but a few,” he said on Facebook.

New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat

“Many have given their lives and dedicated their lives to working to fulfill Dr. King’s dream and make it a reality, and it is up to us to preserve his legacy and the legacy of President Barack Obama to ensure that we do not go back in time! President-elect Donald Trump is trying to take us back! And the people Trump is appointing– Steve Bannon, Jeff Sessions — are trying to take us back!

“That’s why I am not attending the presidential inauguration. Donald Trump and the hate-filled rhetoric that plagued his election simply will continue in his administration. THIS is not Dr. King’s Dream!” Espaillat issued the statement on his Facebook page.

New Jersey Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman

“I do not intend to attend the inauguration of PE @realDonaldTrump. Instead, join me for an Interfaith Prayer Vigil.” ‘

Since Obama came into office the Race Relations numbers have been flipped. Obama came into the Presidency in 2008 with an optimistic view that the first black president could bring the races together, Now they’re more divided than since the 1950s!!!